1979 Lakeland Tigers Roster
Team Record: 50-87
Finished 5th in the FSL's North Division
Manager: Fred Hatfield (50-87)
Affiliation: Detroit Tigers
Location: Lakeland, Florida
Ballpark: Joker Marchant Stadium
Attendance: 54,017, Avg. 789
The Lakeland Tigers of the Florida State League ended the 1979 season with a record of 50 wins and 87 losses, finishing fifth in the league's North Division.
The Tigers scored 495 runs and yielded 606 runs. Craig Johnson paced Lakeland with 10 home runs Howard Johnson accounted for 49 RBI. Bobby Benda led batters with significant playing time by hitting .251. Larry Pashnick and Howard Bailey topped the team with 8 wins each, while John Lackey recorded a 2.59 ERA, tops among regular hurlers.
Players from the 1979 Lakeland Tigers who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Bruce Fields, Howard Bailey, Bruce Robbins, Howard Johnson, Rick Leach and Larry Pashnick.
Fred Hatfield served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Bailey | R | L | July 31, 1957 | 6'0" | 195 | Grand Haven, MI US |
| Michael Beecroft | S | R | June 29, 1959 | 6'4" | 195 | Sacramento, CA US |
| Bobby Benda | R | R | 5'9" | 160 | ||
| Thomas Berti | L | R | January 8, 1956 | 5'11" | 160 | Royal Oak, MI US |
| Bob Bresnen | R | L | November 12, 1956 | 6'1" | 185 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Jeffrey Brown | L | R | 5'9" | 167 | ||
| Brian Cascadden | L | 6'1" | 165 | |||
| David Cassetto | L | R | 6'1" | 185 | ||
| Gordon Chretien | R | 6'1" | 195 | |||
| John Crawford | R | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Roy Dixon | R | R | 6'2" | 175 | ||
| Bruce Fields | L | R | October 6, 1960 | 6'0" | 185 | Cleveland, OH US |
| John Flynn | R | R | May 13, 1959 | 6'2" | 192 | Kings Park, NY US |
| Bert Geiger | R | R | August 14, 1959 | 6'2" | 185 | Miami, FL US |
| Jorge Gonzalez | R | R | May 30, 1958 | 5'10" | 167 | Arecibo, PR |
| James Good | R | R | April 12, 1959 | 6'3" | 195 | |
| Jeffrey Jackowiak | R | R | September 27, 1959 | 6'1" | 190 | South Bend, IN US |
| Joseph Janton | R | R | February 10, 1956 | 6'3" | 185 | Newport Beach, CA US |
| Craig Johnson | R | R | 6'4" | 195 | ||
| Howard Johnson | S | R | November 29, 1960 | 5'11" | 178 | Clearwater, FL US |
| Jeff Kenaga | L | R | July 12, 1957 | 6'0" | 170 | |
| William Klank | R | R | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| John Lackey | R | December 26, 1956 | 5'11" | 185 | ||
| Rick Leach | L | L | May 4, 1957 | 6'1" | 180 | Ann Arbor, MI US |
| Ronald Lindberg | R | R | November 29, 1957 | 5'10" | 165 | |
| Bob Nandin | S | R | August 29, 1956 | 5'9" | 155 | , CO |
| Randy Nelson | R | 6'0" | 190 | |||
| Daniel O'Connor | R | R | 6'3" | 205 | ||
| Larry Pashnick | R | R | April 25, 1956 | 6'3" | 205 | Lincoln Park, MI US |
| Kevin Richards | R | R | May 29, 1958 | 6'2" | 178 | Wyandotte, MI US |
| Bruce Robbins | L | L | September 10, 1959 | 6'1" | 190 | Portland, IN US |
| Ell Roberson | R | R | 6'0" | 182 | ||
| Bobby Sagers | L | R | January 31, 1957 | 5'10" | 176 | Fort Lee, VA US |
| Michael Schoeller | L | L | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| Kenneth Shea | R | R | August 28, 1957 | 6'1" | 190 | Corona, CA US |
| James Simerly | R | R | December 22, 1956 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Jack Smith | R | R | December 4, 1958 | 6'4" | 190 | |
| Michael Steele | R | R | 6'1" | |||
| Art Toal | R | R | 6'2" | 183 | ||
| Wilson Tucker | L | R | 5'10" | 185 | ||
| John Upshaw | R | R | October 9, 1956 | 6'1" | 195 | Yuma, AZ US |
| James Wheeler | R | R | April 24, 1957 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Bob Wilber | R | R | June 19, 1956 | 6'1" | 170 | Kirkwood, MO US |
| Clifton Wilder | R | R | January 23, 1959 | 5'11" | 180 | Fort Jay, NY US |
| Waldo Winborn | R | R | 6'5" | 200 | ||
| Mike Wright | R | R | 6'4" | 210 |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
